Brisbane transport gains dubious title

With the latest round of public transport fare hikes train travel in Brisbane has become more expensive than in Sydney or Melbourne.

Commuters were hit with a 7.5 per cent fare rise on Monday. It followed several price increases in recent years, with a 20 per cent rise in 2009 and 15 per cent rises in each year from 2010 to 2012.

A Fairfax Media analysis shows train travel in south-east Queensland is now more expensive per kilometre in Brisbane than in the nation's other east coast capitals.

Each city has a different way of organising fare levels, but modelling from Sydney's system – which has five zones measured at 10, 20, 35, 65 and 65-plus kilometres from the city centre – shows a comparable trip in Brisbane could cost up to $1.55 more.

Brisbane public transport has become more expensive than in Sydney and Melbourne. Photo: Michelle Smith

For example, a weekday trip from Central Station to Morningside Station – a journey of roughly 10 kilometres – would cost $3.85 on a single adult GoCard, but the same distance on an adult single My Train ticket in Sydney is $3.60.

In Melbourne, where the MyKi ticketing system divides the network into two zones and charges a flat fee for travel in either, or across both, a similar trip from Southern Cross to Strathmore would cost $3.50.

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Meanwhile a trip in excess of 35 kilometres on a Melbourne city train costs the same as one 20 kilometres (adult single fares are capped at $5.92), compared with $5 in Sydney and $6.55 in Brisbane.

But spokesman for the public advocacy group Rail Back on Track, Robert Dow, said Brisbane became even more expensive when the bulk-buy fare savings available in other states were taken into account.

“South-east Queensland has some of the dearest public transport in the world now – that's not in dispute – and they're certainly some of the dearest fares in Australia," he said. "We don't have offsets in the way that other major jurisdictions do.

“You can get weekly, monthly and quarterly tickets in Sydney; there's a family pass in Perth that's available on weekends and public holidays, and off-peak during the week, that affords groups of people unlimited travel on the network for just $11.

“That public transport users in Brisbane have to pay more for the network than other major capitals is just not at all justifiable.”

Mr Dow said the difference in fees was a strategic issue, and not brought about by substantive differences in fixed costs associated with distances travelled across the TransLink network.

“We're decentralised – yes – but when you compare Brisbane to other similar systems around the world you can see that it can be done with the right strategy and at the right price," he said. "Our prices were right about two years ago.

“We'd like to see a comprehensive fare review.”

A spokesman for Transport Minister Scott Emerson defended Monday's 7.5 per cent fare increase, saying it was necessary and more price rises would come.

“While we would like to do more in terms of fares relief, our priority will be to improve the state's finances,” he said.

The spokesman said a transport policy introduced in 2010 by the previous Labor government led to south-east Queensland taking the top spot on the ticket-price ladder.

But he confirmed that the Liberal National Party Government was still committed to another 7.5 per cent increase in 2014, half of what was previously scheduled.

“When compared to the scheduled hikes, the LNP policies will save a regular commuter travelling two zones about $314 a year or $1042 a year for a regular commuter from Palmwoods to Brisbane,” he said.

“We are committed to getting people back onto public transport after four straight years of declining patronage by improving affordability, reliability and frequency.

“We've already seen some improvements in patronage with the introduction of our passenger-focussed policies.”

In October last year customer satisfaction with fares scored 50 out of 100, an improvement on the previous quarter but still well below the “satisfactory” target of 60.

Capital city fare comparison

Prices for weekday train travel on a single adult ticket, or like fare.

*Melbourne city train lines fall into two zones. Travel in the inner city zone is cheaper than the outer city zone, with travel across the two zones capped at $5.92 for a single adult trip (ticket valid for two hours).